Plate-retaining device.



F. S. STAFFRD, PLATE HETAINING DEWCE.

APPLICATION mm JULY lo. 1914.

altented Alim-113, WM..

f3 j@ l@ 1w@ OHICAGO, LLINJS, SSlG-NR lI STAFFORB AUTO @L NUMBER GMANY, E GHXCAGO, LLINGIS, A CORORATIEN G1? TEXAS.

Appicatron ilecl July 10, 1914:. Serial No. 1150.083.

En all whom it mmf (gonne/'12:

lle it known that lr., lnnnmcn S. STAF- ronn, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Chicagmin the county ot Cook and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Plate-Retaining Devices, et which the following isa specitication.

.lily invention relates to a plate retaining device, and is concerned particularly with a retaining device for holding,n in position number plates used in connection with num-- l ber display devices employed for automobilles. 4 lt is the object of my invention to employ ,a device in whichseparate plates are used kallor each number, so that by using a single lahaine, and other parts associated therewith, any combination of numbers may be used in the same trame.

.lt is the particular object of my invention to so mount the separate number plates that resilient separating; means areprovi led between adjacent plates, thereby el'ectually preventing any rattling of the plates during, operation oi the automobile.

Yllhese and other objects oli my invention will be more readily understoodby referencel to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a front elevation ot a nlunber display` device, in which the. illuminating lamp is combined u'it-h said device. Fig, i2

"ront elevation of a 'number pa d. in coni ion `with which my invention is used. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line C/l--i of Fig'. l. llig. 4 is a horizontal section tal-:en on the line i--ilol' Fig. 21. Fig. 5 is a perspective and partial sectional vieu' olfA one of the separators used in connection with my invention; and Fig. (i is a vertical section on the line 6--6 ot Fig. 1 on a reduced scale.

Referring `first to the embodiment of my invention"specihcally illustrated in Figs. 1

and lfthe plate retainingr'ame consists ol 'y a hollmv box-like structure, formed of sheet metal ,v having the "back 10 and the front 11. lamp 12 mounted in the upper portion ot' the iii-ame, and the light from this lamp serves as illuminating means for the number plates 13, 'which are mofvited in guide- Ways 14.-, provided in the.l mt 11 of the Speccaton of 'Letters '.Patent.

vide the separators '18,'

tetented npr. 13, trl-1215.

device. As clearly indicated in Fig. 3, the. sides of the device are closed by the side members 15 and 16 respectively. rllastened to the rear member 10 is the resilient abutment member 17, which projects forwardly and serves as a resilient abul'uent for the edge of the lett-hand number plate 13.

Between adjacent number plates l pro- Which are most clearly shown in Fig. 5. Each of these separators consists of a front portion 19 and e channel-shaped.members 20, which are adapted to receive., the edges ot' the number plates 13. llt will be apparent that il pressure is applied laterally to the number plates 13, the channel-shaped side members ZO are Jforced toward cach other, and thereby afford resilient means formainteming,I the numberA plates in position. At their ends the separators 18 have their front portions 19 cut away so that these ends may be readily slipped into the guideways 111- at the upper and lower ends of the plates 1.3. As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the right-hand plate 21 may contain the name of the State for which the automol' 'le license number is issued, Vthe year in which it was issued, or any other similar legends. .A removable abutment slide 2Q is inserted in a guidevvay Q3, at the right-hand end ot the number display device in order to securely hold the plates 13 and 21 in position.

ln assembling the device which l. have just described, the number plate shoivn at the left of Fig. 1. is first placed in position by inserting it at the right-hand end/ol1 the guideways 14.*. A. separator 18 is next placed in position by turning the separator into an oblique position, placing its cut aivay ends in the guideways 14, and then turning it into a vertical position. Subsequent plates 13 and the plate 21 and additional separators 18 are ncxtbplaced in position and the entire series of plates is then -liorced to the lett against the resilient action of breakage should be prevented, and this result is silient nature accomplished by reason of the reof the separators 18.

In the modification of my invention shown in Figs. 2 and 4, a sheet metal back 24 is provided and at its ends has the apertures 25, through which the bolts 26 pass in order to hold the abutment members 27 in position. At the upper and lower edges of the back 24 are provided -the guideways28, similar to the guideways 14 shown in Fig. 1. The plates 13 and 21 are held in position by the guideways 28 and are separated from each other bythe separators 18, which are of exactly the same construction as the sepa rators 1 fshown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. In assembling the numbers used in connection with the number pad shown in Fig. 2, one of the abutment members 27 is first fastened to the back-24.4 Plates 13 and-'2 1 and the separators 18 are 'next placedijilljposition. Finally the second abutment @miser-.27 is fastened to the'back 24, having'fbeen-torc'ed inwardly to a sufficient. extent Yso.- that4` the side members 20 of the separatorsfgflB are forced toward each other, thereby maintaining the latter under pressure.

It Will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that many changes could be made in the detailed construction of the various parts which I have described Without departing Vfrom the spirit or scope of my invention as set fort'h in the claims.

What I claim is:

l. Inv a plate retaining device, the combination of a frame having parallel guide- Ways thereon, a plurality of plates engaging said guideways, abutment means at the ends of said series of plates, and resilient separators between -adjacent plates, each of said separators comprising a front portion and spaced side members adapted to be forced toward each other by lateral pressure, substantially as described.

2.v In a plate retaining device, the combination of a frame having parallel guideways thereon, a plurality of plates engaging said guideways, abutment means at the ends of said series of plates, and resilient scparators between adjacent plates, eacn of said separators comprising a front portion and channel-shaped side members normally separated from each other, but adapted to be forced toward each other by lateral pressure, substantially as described.

3. In a plate retaining device, the combination of a frame having parallel guideways thereon, a plurality of plates engaging said guideways, abutment means at the ends of said series of plates, and resilient separators between adjacent plates, each of said separators comprising a front portion and channel-shaped side members normally separated from each other, butadapted to be forced toward each other under lateral pressure, the front portion of said separator being removed at the ends of the latter, whereby the said ends may be inserted in said guideways, substantially as described.

4. In a plate retaining device, the combination of a frame having parallel guide- Ways thereon, a plurality of plates engaging said guideways, a resilient abutment member at one end of said series 'of plates, resilient separators between said plates, und a removable abutment member at the oppo` site end ofsaid series of plates, substantially as described.

FREDRICK S. STAFFORD. Witnesses:

LEWIS T.' Gnnrsr, E. POLLARD. 

